Valentine’s Treat: Chocolate Cookies Two Ways

As soon as I saw the recipe for Balsamic Chocolate Drops at Habeas Brûlée, I knew I had to try it. Not only was I intrigued by the use of balsamic vinegar to enhance the chocolate flavor, but these fudgy drops were also easily veganized and already lower in fat than most cookies. So I made them one night to bring to a party—getting them out of the house so that I wouldn’t be tempted to eat too many of them myself! Made with Earth Balance margarine and soy yogurt instead of butter and yogurt, they were a decadent treat.

But I couldn’t stop there. I liked the rich, chocolaty taste so much that I wanted to see if I could eliminate the fat completely and still have a luscious—but lighter—dessert. I needed to replace the margarine, and I decided that of all fat substitutes, prune puree would complement the chocolate best. I also added another chocolate enhancer, a pinch of cinnamon. And since prunes are sweeter than margarine, I was able to cut down on the sugar, an added bonus. The cookies came out much softer than the margarine version, almost like thin brownies or cakes. The biggest surprise was that E. and I actually preferred the no-fat version. I guess we just like our cookies soft rather than crispy.

So here are the two recipes—first the higher-fat version and then my fat-free version. Make some to share with the one (or ones) you love!

Vegan Balsamic Fudge Drops

Balsamic vinegar is the secret ingredient, but the only sign it’s there is the deeper, richer taste it gives these cookies.

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached white flour (or use gluten-free baking flour)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup soy yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (see Note)

Vanilla sugar (I did this the quick way by pulverizing a vanilla bean with sugar in my blender)

Instructions

Mix the flour, soda, and salt together and set aside. In another bowl, mix the cocoa with the sugars and set aside.

Melt the margarine in a medium-sized saucepan. When it is completely melted, take it off the heat and add the sugar/cocoa mixture and stir to combine. Then add the soy yogurt, vanilla extract, and balsamic and stir until mixed. Finally, add the flour mixture and stir just until it’s combined—don’t over-mix.

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheets about 1 1/2-inches apart. Sprinkle lightly with vanilla sugar, and place them in the oven. After 5 minutes, switch the pans around so that the one on top is on the bottom and the front sides are in the back. Check again in 4 minutes. Be careful—depending on the type of pan you use, they can go from underdone to burned in seconds (I found out the hard way!) They shouldn’t need more than 11 minutes and will look soft on top, but they’ll harden as they cool.

Fat-Free Balsamic Fudge Cookies

These fudgy-but-fat-free cookies have three chocolate enhancers: cinnamon, prunes, and balsamic vinegar. You probably won’t be able to detect any of them in the finished product, but they lend the cookies a deeper, more chocolaty taste.

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached white flour (or use gluten-free baking flour)

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

pinch cinnamon (optional)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

2/3 cup demerara sugar (or other vegan sugar)

1/2 cup prune puree (see note)

1/3 cup soy yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (see note #2)

Vanilla sugar (I did this the quick way by pulverizing a vanilla bean with sugar in my blender)

Instructions

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the prune puree with the sugar and cocoa and stir to combine. Add the soy yogurt, vanilla extract, and balsamic and stir until mixed. Finally, add the flour mixture and stir just until it’s combined—don’t over-mix.

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheets about 1 1/2-inches apart. Using the back of a spoon, flatten each cookie slightly and sprinkle with vanilla sugar. Place them in the oven. Bake for about 9 to 11 minutes—be careful not to burn the bottoms!

Remove from the oven and lift the parchment paper or silicone mats onto cooling racks. Allow to cool completely. These taste best cold and somehow even better the next day. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Notes

I made prune puree simply by buying canned prunes (plums) and pureeing them in the blender. You can also buy a fat substitute, Lighter Bake, which is essentially pureed prunes, but it costs more and doesn’t work any better. I’ve also heard of people using jars of babyfood prunes, but blending my own always made more sense to me. (Caution: don’t use dried prunes unless you add some water before blending.)

Note #2: I used regular (i.e. cheap) balsamic vinegar, but I’m sure you’d get more effect if you follow Danielle’s instructions to make reduced balsamic.

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I use a very similar prune trick when baking, but mine is more of a syrup than a puree. It really preserves the gooey sin of brownies without the fat.

The reason I am sharing it with you here is because you say "Caution don't use dry prunes!" and I believe just the opposite. My fat-substitute syrup is made as follows:

1/2 cup Agave Nectar

1 lb Prunes

1/2 cup water

Place prunes and agave nectar in food processor and process until nearly smooth. Slowly pour in water. You may need to scrape the sides and process further to get a smooth, thick syrup.

By using prune syrup instead of butter, you cut the calories in many baked goods in half, reduce fat by 85% and cholesterol to zero. Use half the amount of the butter or shortening called for, or 3/4 the amount of oil called for in a baking recipe.

These are amazing! I've been meaning to make these for a while- and finally made the fat free version. They are chewy and fudgy and absolutely delicious! I didn't have soy yogurt so I subbed "sour cream" and that worked just fine. Thanks for the awesome recipe.

I made these this past weekend and I am savoring every last bite! I made the first version and they are so delicious. However I did make some changes to suit what I had in the fridge at the time. No balsamic on hand or prunes but I had dried apricots and cranberries. I reduced 4 tablespoons of white vinegar, 1 cup of water, 1/2 pound of apricots, 1/2 pound of cranberries until it was a syrupy goodness. Then I blended it well and used that instead of the balsamic and prunes. Yum Yum Yum

Hi, I want to make these now, like right this very minute, and I have everything except: balsamic vinegar and prunes. Could I use apple-cider vinegar instead of balsamic vinegar and dates instead of prunes? I might have to try because I don't think I can wait! Wish me luck!

Thanks so much Susan for posting this delicious recipe, I haven't made any other cookies as delicious as these.

I haven't seen earth balance margerine in the UK, but my local supermarket has sunflower and soya based margerines. I was wondering which type you think would be best for baking? My instinct says the soya margerine would be best since it is firmer, but the sunflower variety seems to have a more buttery taste.

I made these cookies last night with 1 tablespoon of each variety plus 3tbsps of canola oil since that was literally all I had left, but I can't wait to try the next batch when I get some more margerine or prune puree!

I made these with dutch-processed cocoa powder since it's difficult to find the natural stuff in the UK. The cookies turned out fine, perhaps due to the acidity of the vinegar. That said I haven't tried it with natural cocoa powder yet, but it's hard to imagine that the result could be any better!

This is totally my go-to recipe for chocolate cookies! I’ve made them so many times, because they’re so good, so I thought it was about time I thanked you for this recipe. Although I have yet to try the fat-free version, since I’ve never found prunes in a can… Some day!

hey,
i was wondering if these can be baked in brownie-bar form? i love this recipe (especially the calorie content- i bake for my mom a lot but she’s on a diet so i want to continue to be able to make her happy!) and would love to bake it in said form… forsee any problems?

i just made these using one of the first comments recipes for prune syrup, but i subbed dried figs (7 oz pureed with 1/4 cup honey and 1/3 cup water), then cut ALL the sugar and used 1/4 c of the whole wheat flour, baked in brownie form for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. turned out beautifully 🙂 thanks so much!

I made the fat-free version today and they were amazing. BUT- I could not find prune puree anywhere so I used 3 tablespoons of coconut oil instead (kinda ruining the fat-free part but its all I had). I am gluten intolerant too so I also used bobs red mill gluten free flour mix and 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Even with all of these changes they tasted fabulous! They were soft and chewy and delicious. Its nice to find a good cookie recipe that works well with gluten free flours so Yay!

These are my go-to chocolate cookies! I have made them many times, and they always get a good reception, from both vegans and non-vegans.

My question: do you think these would be good if I substituted mint extract for the vanilla extract? I mean, I guess I should just try it 🙂 but I thought I’d at least ask. I am making variety baskets of cookies for gifts this year, and a chocolate mint cookie is on my list of cookies to include.

I think I would just add a little mint extract in addition to the vanilla. You can add a little and taste the batter and keep adding until you have enough (one of the great things about eggless batters!) Good luck. Please let me know how they come out.

I made the cookies with the addition of mint extract today. They are good! I think I may have added just a wee too much mint extract, so next time I will use less, but the mint flavor works well with the other flavors in the cookie.

These are so good! I made an oil-free batch for my Dad for Father’s Day (it’s Father’s Day in Australia) and had to keep a few for myself! I bought dried plums (which is what prunes are, dried prunes is redundant) that came in a bag but they were still quite moist. I simply blended them with some water until I got a paste/puree type consistency. Canned prunes might be hard for many to find, but you can usually find a bag of dried plums so to other readers who can only find dried plums (prunes), go ahead and use them and just blend with a bit of water. I only own one baking tray so I had to do two batches. The first batch I made the cookies really big, probably 2 Tbsp of cookie dough, which made 9 cookies on my tray. They had to bake for 18 minutes and came out perfectly. The next batch I did 1 level Tbsp of cookie dough, which made 7 cookies, and then baked for 11 minutes and they came out perfectly. I have tasted them warm, room temperature, and cold now, and I personally think they are delicious at any temperature, although I think I liked them warm best. When they were warm they tasted more fudge-y because they were still really soft. Great recipe! Tastes just like a regular chocolate cookie – can’t even tell there are prunes in it!

Also, my consistency came out exactly like cake, not cookies, but perhaps that is because I accidentally used self-raising flour but still added the baking soda and vinegar?? My mother thought they weren’t sweet enough, but my Dad ate three in a row so I guess he liked them lol. After the cookies had a chance to sit for awhile I tasted them again and decided I actually like them a lot better warm than room temperature or cold. For me, they don’t compare to a full-fat vegan cookie (except when warm), but for a healthy cookie they are nice. Probably wouldn’t make again though.

It’s boyfriend approved ! I halved the recipe and used 1/2 c. of agave syrup instead of white and brown sugar. Thank you SO much ! I’m on a low sugar/wheat/yeast diet and I allow myself a little snack here and there BUT I must make it myself so I know what’s going into my body. This is by far the best I’ve made…….. and I’ve made a lot ! xx

I made the full-fat version for a vegan friend of mine, and replaced the margarine with coconut oil, just because I prefer not to use margarine when I can. The coconut flavor was a wonderful addition to the cookies! They were so delicious that even when (non-vegan) my mom and brother sampled a few for me, they loved them just as much as my friend did! I would make these again in an instant. 🙂

I just made the fat free version and the batter was very thick/sticky. It was hard to mix in the last of the flour and hard to get it off the spoon to drop on the cookie sheet. Is this the way it should be? I didn’t have vanilla sugar so just skipped that part. My cookies looked just like when they were dropped, only puffy, and came out more like cake, not like your pictures which look more standard cookie-like as disks.
Suggestions for where I might be off? They taste delicious though!

It really shouldn’t have been that thick. Maybe one of your ingredients (soy yogurt? Prune purée?) was drier than mine. Definitely add a little water if you make them again and be sure to flatten them with a fork or spoon before baking.

Thanks! I’m not a baker so I was afraid to adjust anything the first time. The soy yogurt was a little cup that I stirred and it seemed fairly wet. I had the prunes from a jar that I pureed in the little Cuisinart blender until I got 1/2 cup. So who knows. I still have all the ingredients so I’m going to try another batch and add water this time if it still seems dry and I’ll press them down a bit too. Hopefully that will make the difference!

I just tried another batch and I’m still having trouble. 🙁
I used more water to puree the Sunsweet ready to serve (in juice) prunes. I added a tablespoon of water when mixing the cocoa/sugar/prunes and it was much better, nice consistency. When I was finishing adding the flour it seemed thick again so I added 2 teaspoons water and it seemed better.
But when I attempted to drop them on the cookie sheet they still stuck to the spoons…wetter but still sticking. I absolutely could not press them down as they stuck to the spoon. It didn’t seem a matter of thick batter; it was simply sticky.
They baked up like little sponges. They taste good and they are good inside (last time they were gooey) but they have no crumb and don’t look anything like yours!
I sure wish I could figure it out; it seems like I’m following the recipe to the letter but who knows…

Susan, thanks so much for your great blog and recipes. I have consulted many!!

I just wanted to comment on your fat calculation for these cookies, as I calculate a higher percentage. At 3 grams of fat per 77 calories, that works out to 27 fat calories per 77 calories of cookie, which is 35% calories from fat, not 29%. Minor point, but my husband really watches his fat intake, and so I am like a hawk with these numbers. Maybe you rounded along the way?

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